The Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking in an Acute Inpatient Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Population 1

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking among patients before and after discharge from an acute inpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation unit and. to assess smokers’ interest in and desire for smoking cessation. A consecutive sample of inpatients (n = 233) admitted over a 5–month period to a regional rehabilitation inpatient center for acute rehabilitation treatment was surveyed for their smoking patterns. Ten percent of patients admitted to rehabilitation were active smokers prior to their hospitalization. In spite of reporting high motivation to stop smoking, half were not interested in participating in a smoking cessation program if one were offered to them. Following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, 54% of a small sample of patients who could be contacted had resumed smoking (all within 4 weeks of being home). Given the prevalence of smoking in this population and its adverse consequences on health and quality of life, we suggest that rehabilitation professionals actively address this health problem during the patient's hospitalization.